Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the common narrative among produce marketers is that consumers have been drawn toward bagged fruit, whether that be for convenience, economy or perceptions of safety.
California avocado marketers also experienced the trend, which has continued a full year after it began.
“During the pandemic, consumers have gravitated more toward packaged items that help reduce their time in stores and that may have been touched less by other shoppers,” said Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the Irvine-based California Avocado Commission.
“We have seen a real uptick in our sales of bags, not only at Del Rey, but I think the whole industry,” said Bob Lucy, president of Del Rey Avocado, Fallbrook, Calif.
Some retailers are taking big avocados in bags of two or three, and club store customers are putting five or six avocados in a bag. Some chains are requesting six-count bags of smaller fruit, he said.
Hector Soltero, senior director of sales planning for Oxnard, Calif.-based Mission Produce, said bagged avocados have been showing strong sales for a few years now. However, he said growth was definitely accelerated by the pandemic.
Avocados sold loose or in bulk at retail remain dominant, but bags have made inroads.
“According to IRI data, bags contributed to 20% of category sales in 2020, up from 17% in 2019,” Soltero said.
In 2020, he said bag sales increased 47% compared with the previous year, compared to 16% for bulk fruit.
“As consumption of avocados continues to increase, we should see sustained growth from bagged fruit,” Soltero said.
Bagged avocados have been on a steady year-over-year increase for several years, said Peter Shore, director of business development and marketing for Santa Paula, Calif.-based Calavo Growers Inc.
“I’m sure the pandemic had an impact on increase,” Shore said.
“Consumers are eating more avocados, and bagged avocados are an easy way to pick up four to five at a time. We see the bagged avocado volume increase continuing.”
Many shoppers prefer the value and the ease of bags, be it in store or online, said Gahl Crane, sales director for Eco Farms, Temecula, Calif.
“Bag demand has gone up and we expect that to continue in 2021 and even post-pandemic,” Crane said.
Bagged avocados sales have increased since the start of the pandemic last year, said Gary Caloroso, regional business development director for Los Angeles-based Giumarra.
“We believe that retailers will continue to see incremental sales gain in their produce departments by offering bags of avocados,” he said.
